I am not making resolutions with the advent of the new year. Lofty aspirations in January lead to dashed hopes and self-degradation in April. I plan to make life easier by taking the lazy, half-hearted route, which I believe will lead to success.

If you are a like-minded soul, please join me on my quest. Aim low and treat yourself with kindness and self-awareness. Make your resolutions small and attainable or, better yet, don’t make any at all. Vow to avoid anything that involves denying yourself simple pleasures. Focus on what keeps you sane during the cold, dark winter. Maybe shoot for the hardcore stuff come spring. Maybe not. Make 2018 the year you resolve to do what makes you happy, which in turn will cultivate feelings of pride and achievement. Go with me on this quest. Let me know how it all works out.

The library offers a myriad of resources to guide you in the ways of laziness and comfort. Check out our books on the Danish practice of Hygge. Denmark has cornered the market on cozy and it is high time to get in on the action (or lack thereof). This is a country that has it all figured out.

Learn More About Hygge

The Joy of Hygge: How to Bring Everyday Pleasure and Danish Coziness into Your Life by Jonny Jackson & Elias Larsen

The Danish word hygge is one of those beautiful words that doesn't directly translate into English, but it more or less means comfort, warmth or togetherness. Hygge is the feeling you get when you are cuddled up on a sofa with a loved one, in warm knitted socks, in front of the fire, when it is dark, cold and stormy outside. It that feeling when you are sharing good, comfort food with your closest friends, by candle light and exchanging easy conversation. It is those cold, crisp blue sky mornings when the light through your window is just right. Denmark is arguably the happiest nation in the world and living the hygge way is largely responsible. Danes focus on the small things that really matter, like spending more quality time with friends and family and enjoying the good things in life.

The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking

Embrace Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) and become happier with this definitive guide to the Danish philosophy of comfort, togetherness, and well-being.

Why are Danes the happiest people in the world? The answer, says Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, is Hygge. Loosely translated, Hygge—pronounced Hoo-ga—is a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. "Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience," Wiking explains. "It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe."

Hygge is the sensation you get when you’re cuddled up on a sofa, in cozy socks under a soft throw, during a storm. It’s that feeling when you’re sharing comfort food and easy conversation with loved ones at a candlelit table. It is the warmth of morning light shining just right on a crisp blue-sky day.

The Little Book of Hygge introduces you to this cornerstone of Danish life, and offers advice and ideas on incorporating it into your own life, such as:

Get comfy. Take a break.

Be here now. Turn off the phones.

Turn down the lights. Bring out the candles.

Build relationships. Spend time with your tribe.

Give yourself a break from the demands of healthy living. Cake is most definitely Hygge.

Live life today, like there is no coffee tomorrow.

From picking the right lighting to organizing a Hygge get-together to dressing hygge, Wiking shows you how to experience more joy and contentment the Danish way.

How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life by Signe Johansen

The “Danish coziness” philosophy is fast becoming the new “French living” in terms of aspirational lifestyle books and blogs. There are countless viral articles comparing the happiness levels of Americans versus Danes. Their homes are more homey; their people are more cheerful. It’s an attitude that defies definition, but there is a name for this slow-moving, stress-free mindset: hygge (pronounced “hoo-ga”). Hygge values the idea of cherishing yourself: candlelight, bakeries, and dinner with friends; a celebration of experiences over possessions, as well as being kind to yourself and treasuring a sense of community.

How to Hygge by chef and author Signe Johansen is a fresh, informative, lighthearted, fully illustrated how-to guide to hygge. It’s a combination of recipes, helpful tips for cozy living at home, and cabin porn: essential elements of living the Danish way—which, incidentally, encourages a daily dose of “healthy hedonism.” Who can resist that?

The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort and Connection by Louisa Thomsen Brits

Hygge (hoo-gah) is a Danish word but a universal feeling of being warm, safe, comforted, and sheltered—an experience of belonging to the moment and to each other. When life gets hectic, work grows stressful, and the days fly by, unplug and tune in.

Hygge anchors us, reminding us to slow down, to connect with place and with one another, to dwell and savor rather than rush and spend.

When you curl up by the fire with a blanket, or have a simple meal with friends, that is hygge. When you acknowledge the sacred in the secular, or focus on people rather than things, or when you express love through small gestures, that is hygge. The Book of Hygge is an invitation to welcome abundance and contentment into your life. It is a call to live more fully by focusing on what moves you.

With beautiful full-color photographs and instructive meditations on relishing the everyday, it is your perfect guide to cultivating the coziness that has made Danes the happiest people in the world. The Book of Hygge is designed with an unjacketed, textured cover and crisp, clean interiors.

As seen in the The New Yorker, a cure for SAD in book form.

The Hygge Life: Embracing the Nordic Art of Coziness Through Recipes, Entertaining, Decorating, Simple Rituals, and Family Traditions by Gunnar Karl Gislason and Jody Eddy

Equal parts cookbook and lifestyle guide, this cozy little book shows you how to cultivate comfort and contentment and embrace life’s small pleasures with the Danish practice of hygge.

Hygge (loosely translated as "coziness") is centered around the idea of inviting comforting elements into day-to-day life while creating warmth, community, and intimacy. The Hygge Life teaches you how small gestures (putting wool blankets and warm cider out for guests) or larger undertakings (building bonfires and making campfire bread to celebrate solstice) can warm the psyche and foster hygge, with more than 30 recipes for cozy and comforting food and drinks.

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About The Author

Rachel is a Children's Librarian with a fondness for a wide variety of fiction, picture books, and narrative nonfiction. She is a restaurant junkie and sincerely wants to hear all about that great meal you posted on Instagram and where to get it. She loves movies and food and exceptional conversation about both. She will also challenge anyone, anywhere, anytime to a Golden Girls trivia throw-down.